The Hippo knocked dead in Nwoya on Monday morning
Three-game animals have been knocked dead in Murchison Falls National Park in Nwoya District in less than one week.
The affected game animals include a hippopotamus that was knocked dead on Monday morning by a speeding vehicle registration number UBA 724H at Te-okot valley, about 10 kilometres from Pakwach Bridge in Murchison National Game Park along Pakwach- Karuma Highway.
The valley, just three meters from the main road harbours dozens of hippopotamuses. The others are two antelopes that were killed by an unknown vehicle at Latoro Villag, Got -apwoyo Sub-County in Nwoya District on Wednesday.
Bashir Hangi, the Communication Officer of Uganda Wildlife Authority –UWA told URN in an interview that the drivers who knocked the game animals are still at large and are being hunted by the Police and UWA.
According to Hangi, although the road signage on roads in the park restricts the speed limit 40 kilometres per hour most drivers tend to ignore the signage and drive beyond 100 kilometers per hour hence knocking the animals as they cross the roads in Search for water and pasture.
“We lose wild animals and human beings at the gazetted areas due to over speeding of some drivers. People forget that they are supposed to drive at a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour,” Hangi.
He revealed once arrested, the errant drivers shall be charged accordingly to deter others from committing similar offences.
Jimmy Patrick Okema, the Aswa River Region Police Spokesperson condemned the action of reckless drivers and appealed to Uganda Wildlife Authority to apprehend the implicated drivers for prosecution.
According to Section 59 (1&3) of the Uganda Wildlife Act of 2019, a person who kills a wild animal through accident or error shall report to an officer and shall where possible hand over the carcass or part of the carcass as the officer may direct and that a person who contravenes the section commits an offence.
-URN
